ISTANBUL

South Korea’s presidential election front-runner, Lee Jae-myung, on Friday pledged to rebuild “mutual trust” with North Korea.

If elected, Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee has said he will seek to restore the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement and halt propaganda broadcasts along the North Korean border.

South Korea will hold snap presidential elections on June 3, following the removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol from office.

The Yoon administration had repeatedly said it would end the regime in Pyongyang as well as suspend inter-Korean pacts.

North Korea took retaliatory measures, including declaring South Korea a “hostile nation” and snubbing the constitutional requirement to unify the divided Korean Peninsula.

"We will establish a joint inter-Korean military committee and restore communication channels to stably manage inter-Korean risks, including military tensions," Lee said in a statement on Facebook. "We will seek to resume inter-Korean exchanges and rebuild mutual trust."

Lee, who is facing a major court challenge for alleged electoral fraud, made the statement after visiting border regions in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces earlier this week.

Revealing his election manifesto, which includes declaring the border region a special economic zone for peace, he said peace on the Korean Peninsula is needed for South Korea's security and economic growth.

Notably, the Democratic Party, which currently holds a majority in parliament, moved to amend criminal laws on Friday.

The proposed changes, if adopted, would suspend any criminal trial of an elected president.

If Lee is convicted after the Supreme Court overturns a lower court's not-guilty verdict announced on Thursday in an election fraud case, he may face legal challenges if elected to the top executive position next month.

He has a significant lead in all survey polls conducted in the weeks preceding the elections.

Separately, South Korea's acting President Lee Ju-ho stressed on Friday the importance of transparent and fair electoral management.

Lee was appointed interim president after former acting President Han Duck-soo resigned Thursday to run for the top position.

Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok also resigned the same day after the Democratic Party filed an impeachment motion against him.